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How a transfer collapse cost Arsenal a place in the FA Cup quarter finals

Balckburn Rovers have knocked Arsenal out of the FA Cup thanks to a goal from Colin Kazim-Richards at The Emirates. But were it not for a transfer deadline day collapse it may not have happened.

Arsenal may have dominated possession against Blackburn Rovers but as we know in the FA Cup that is not always enough and on this occasion the underdogs won supreme. Blackburn Rovers were of course a Premier League outfit just last season so their victory should not come as too much of a shock; yet the fact their last visit to The Emirates resulted in a 7-1 thrashing courtesy of an Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain salvo and Robin Van Persie hat-trick master-class should have been a precursor to advancement with ease.

However somebody forgot to inform Colin Kazim-Richards of these facts. The Turkish international has come a very long way since he was dubbed the ‘Coca-Cola Kid’ as an 18-year-old signing for Brighton and Hove Albion from Bury.

Since then he has been around the block. Playing in the south of France and winning titles in Greece via a short stay in the Steel City but he has been effectively a resident of Istanbul for the past five years.

A Fenerbahce player until 2011 his misbehaviour and tabloid exposure made him an unwanted liability at the Sukru Saracoglu and he was released in 2011; the fact he moved to fierce rivals Galatasaray and later scored against Fener that season tells you a little more about his character.

This summer he agreed to a loan deal at Ewood Park and for the most part it has been a success for the man from Leytonstone; but things could have been oh so very different.

Many people will read today about the three years Kazim spent on the junior books at Arsenal and think they know where this article is heading but blaming yesterday’s humbling defeat on the release of a 14-year-old 12 years ago seems a thankless task; but a failed transfer more recently may have played a big part in what could prove to be a massive result in regards to the future of Arsenal and Arsene Wenger.

On deadline day it seemed that Kazim was to return back to Turkey after Gala requested a recall; so they could then sell him on a permanent deal to Bursaspor. His parent club invested heavily in the likes of Sneijder and Drogba in the winter so needed to make back some cash. It seemed a done deal but nothing ever came of it and the rhetoric at Blackburn Rovers now is of a permanent deal in the summer for their FA Cup hero.

For whatever reason it never came to pass that Kazim-Kazim would adorn the emerald and white of Bursaspor; and for Blackburn fans that has proven to be great news while Arsenal fans are left rueing another sides transfer misgivings.

Mathew Nash

I’m Mathew Nash a 27 year old graduate in Sports Studies and I have an insatiable love for sport. With a particularly keen interest for the madcap world of football I have always been known amongst friends as a beacon for bizarre sporting trivia and knowledge. My other passion is for writing and hopefully combining the two will create a superb and entertaining marriage that will create, divide and share opinion.Mathew is a correspondent for the NextGen Series, Ligue 1 and Primeira Liga.